Wednesday

Make up and beauty freebies for all readers are about the only thing that magazines still do better than blogs and this month there are quite a few fab finds on the mag racks and I'm bringing you a couple of my top picks.

Glamour continued its glorious association with Benefit which is shaping up to be an annual event and this year brought us pocket-sized BadGal Lash mascara, That Gal primer and the one we've all been waiting for - The Porefessional!

If you haven't grabbed yours yet move fast as the shelves are emptying out. I always find the mini BadGals to be a bit of a dud - while it's a full sized brush, the formulation is always pretty scarce and much drier than the full size. I personally don't find That Gal much use as I need a primer to stop rather than enhance my...er...natural glow.

The Porefessional is normally £23.50 for the full size 22ml which is for me is little eyewatering. However having tried out this mini version I'd definitely consider buying it when I run out as it really does mattify and smooth your skin, drastically reducing the appearance of gaping pores. I like it under liquid foundation but you can achieve totally passable skin with this and a swipe of something like MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural. If you've got an eye for a bargain, picking up 3 Glamour Mags will get you 22.5mls of the glorious substance for the handsomely cheap sum of £6. I've picked up about 7.

Marie Claire has bumped uglies with Ciate again to bring you two lovely shades, a lilac called Purple Sherbet and BonBon a taupey neutral the likes of which I cannot resist!

Saturday

L'Oreal Superliner Gel Intenza* (£8.99) comes in two shades Pure Black and Golden Black. The one I have here is Pure Black. It's intensely creamy and easy to work with, however I do think it's let down by the pigmentation. While the packaging is great and higher-end looking than MAC Fluidline, I was disappointed that it just doesn't give the same performance. It takes longer to set, the black is not as intense as I'd like and it's not as long wearing, despite claiming to be waterproof 24 hour wear. MAC Fluidline has never smudged on me and although it's £5 more, at the end of the day it's better value as it lasts forever. The brush it comes with is ok, might work for some but the line it creates is a little bit too thick for me - it's what I used to create the flick below.

L'Oreal False Lash Telescopic Mascara* (£10.99) is a revelation from previous Telescopic incarnations. It's the best plastic wand I've tried. The images below were taken when the tube was just opened and my lashes look a bit clumpy, but once the formula dried up a little, the effect was much better. I used the tube religiously for about two months which speaks volumes as I normally reach for a different mascara every day. While I think it's a great mascara, I don't think it could be touted as a 'false lash' mascara as the effect is just not dramatic enough. It's a great day time, lengthening and separating formula containing 'micro stretch fibre technology featuring 1.2mm micro fibres'. Although it contains fibres it thankfully doesn't irritate my eye when wearing contacts.

L'Oreal Superliner Perfect Slim* (£6.49) this felt tip eyeliner is the pick of the set. It's super super fine so you can do the most delicate outer corner flicks or build it up for a more intense after dark look. It's incredibly easy to use and very durable. I had a similar pen from Rimmel which had dried up before I even got it back from the shop, but this little pen is going strong months later. It's a definite must-have if you're a liner gal.

Check out Boots as they currently have a buy one get one half off deal on L'Oreal products. Will you be picking any of these up?

Monday

Oh yes, it's indeed another 2012/Olympics/Isn't Britain just great make up product. While we all like to get our patriotism on sometimes, the beauty world has gone just short of jingoistic in the past few months. It's a bit of a cash in, but I can't begrudge Sleek this new collection because they always bring out a few summer collections anyway and this one has been very well thought out.

This eyeshadow palette is a great mix of brights and neutrals and I've got my eye on 'District' - a beautiful shimmering emerald green for next St. Patrick's Day. I love the naming of the shades, Central Line is my morning ride but I doubt I'd ever let that crazy pillar box red anywhere near my eyes! As you'll see from the swatches below the left side of the palette seems less pigmented than the shades on the right. Notable mentions are Overground, Bakerloo (both shown below in all their glory), Jubilee, Northern, Picadilly and Victoria. Really wearable pretty shades.

Overall, there are some pretty shades in this palette that we've not seen from Sleek before, but I think the quality of the shadows overall is just a little below par compared to previous iDivine offerings. Mattes are always difficult, especially budget friendly ones, so I think they should have concentrated on shimmery shades if they can't deliver on them.

The 2012 Collection also comprises a rose bronzer called Honour (£4.49) and Pout Polish called Pride (£4.49) which from the press release looks like a peachy orange with gold shimmer. While still budget friendly, I notice prices are creeping up, and the Glory iDivine* comes in at £7.99 and will be available in Superdrug and online at www.sleekmakeup.com from 4th July (American Independence Day!) for a limited time only.

Saturday

'Miracle Skin Perfector'...now guys, this is where it all goes wrong...who are they trying to kid? But if they *must* set themselves up for a fall then they must. I bought this 'BB cream' many moons ago, used it once, thought 'holy hell that is orange...and greasy' and promptly forgot about it. Early mornings and sweaty tubes have pushed me back to it as an alternative to moisturiser and I have softened towards it second time round now that the overblown claims have been forgotten.

While I'll admit most of my issues with this product come from the shade - in what universe is tangerine 'Light'?! - I really can't see that it is any more than a souped up tinted moisturiser. Certainly not a BB cream by the original Asian standards. The coverage is what you'd expect from a tinted moisturiser, as is the longevity. Not a great option for oily skin like mine which likes to be covered just a little bit more, but if you have relatively clear skin which is dry and you want a very natural look, then go for it. I can't say I've noticed it making my skin any more radiant (claims the Vitamin C does the trick) but I don't suffer with dullness - go me!

If curiosity gets the better of you Boots is selling it for £9.99 and always seems to have some sort of Garnier products deal going on. However if you're willing to spend a little more give Clinique's City Block Sheer SPF25 a whirl. Great sun protection, much lighter pale skin friendly shade and not as greasy.

Thursday

As a primer, I'm skeptical about this product. A 'primer' suggests that it should do something to prepare the surface of your skin to receive foundation in a smoother fashion, and with any luck prolong its longevity. While this isn't a primer to fill the crevices and smooth over, if you have very dry, dull and sallow skin this will work wonders for you on its own, mixed or under foundation to give you a bit of dewy glow. With my youngish, oily skin it works beautifully as an understated highlighter - cheekbones, browbones, bridge of nose, centre of forehead and cupids bow. Despite my shiny skin I think a bit of highlighting adds sculpture and radiance.

What do you think of this Lumi Magique range from L'Oreal? I've put off trying the foundation as I think it would make me an oil slick by midday - thoughts? The concealer pen looks pretty interesting - a possible YSL Touche Eclat dupe?

You can pick up the Lumi Magique Pure Light Primer* for £9.99 and at the moment Boots have a buy 1 get one 1/2 price offer on L'Oreal products.

Friday

The L'Oreal L'Or Electric collection* was released mid May to celebrate the brand's 15th year as official make up sponsor of the Cannes Film Festival. It's a pretty compact little selection but the colours, textures and finishes surely do pack an electric 80s punch.

The L'Or Electric Colour Infallible eyeshadows in Magnetic Coral and Metallic Lilac (£6.99 each) are my top picks. Metallic Lilac is the eyeshadow colour of my dreams - I've been wearing a lot of taupe/grey/purple shades recently and have been topping these off with this for a bit of extra glam. Being a loose shadow you of course have to watch the fallout, but I use a dense flat shader brush and if the base is slightly damp it helps it to adhere. The wear is pretty impressive, being infallible an' all.

L'Or Electric Color Riche Lipsticks in Magnetic Coral, Electric Fuchsia and Prismatic Pink (£8.16 each) look suitably scary in the tube but Magnetic Coral and Electric Fuchsia are surprisingly wearable. Prismatic Pink looked promising but is a let down as the super frosty finish is much too retro for my tastes, especially when worn alone. The scent of the lippies is pretty overpowering but not unpleasant and they glide on beautifully, feel creamy on and last a ruddy good few hours.

L'Or Electric Color Riche Le Vernis in Mystic Blue, Mythic Carpet and Magic Croisette (£4.99 each) like the lipsticks are duo chrome. The dinky little bottles are a master stroke (have you ever finished a bottle of nail varnish?) but may be slightly over priced for the amount of product you get. Magic Croisette is a beautiful ocean blue with so many tones to it. I'm not the hugest fan of blue nails but its gone some way to winning me over. I found a red an oddly safe choice for this collection and would have preferred to see a shocking pink. Despite being 'color riche' you definitely need at least two coats for an shiny opaque finish.

So my top picks are Metallic Lilac eyeshadow, Electric Fuchsia lipstick and the Magic Croissette nail varnish, what are yours?